Monday, March 31, 2008
The days certainly fly when one's having a good time. =P My one-week Easter break has finally come to an end, so I'm back at RMH - a new clinical block; a fresh start.
[For the curious, this block consists of: Dermatology, Rheumatology, Orthopaedics, Plastics and Anaesthesiology.....quite a handful for 6 weeks!!!]
It looks like I've deviated from the subject I wanted to blog, so....back to my original plan. =P
When I was still at Trinity College, I watched a play at the Melbourne Arts Centre. What enthralled me then was the fact that:
1. Limited props were used (which consisted of 2 paintcans, 2 footstools, 2 electric guitars, 2 amplifiers and a ladder)
2. There were no backdrops at all, and
3. There were only TWO actors throughout the 2-hour long play!
Within that two hours, both actors took on numerous characters (from problematic teenage boys to narrators and stern police officers), switching from one persona to another (on stage, mind you) with astounding precision and speed. Even the setups and transitions from one setting to another completely blew me away. Who would have thought that depictions of a garage, a highway and an overhead bridge, a bar, an interrogation room, a jail cell and a courtroom could be done, simply by clever use of props (as mentioned)? Well I didn't think it was feasible at the beginning, so that was quite an eye-opener for me.
Keeping that in mind, imagine my excitement when I discover yet ANOTHER play, echoing similar concepts as above!! XD
Only this time around, there are FOUR actors altogether. And between them - over 150 characters to play. Yup, you heard me: ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY characters. 
[Note: picture taken from www.theartscentre.com.au]
Now this upcoming play is called "The 39 Steps", which is based on John Buchanan's novel of the same name. If you wonder why this sounds familiar, it may be because the story has been adapted for the silverscreen three times in cinematic history, the most memorable of them being Alfred Hitchcock's "The 39 Steps" (1935). =P Since I'm running short of time, allow me to indulge you a few (albeit brief) details on the play before I sign off. "The 39 steps" is to be staged by the Melbourne Theater Company, at the Melbourne Arts Centre between 5th April - 10th May 2008. Prices range from AUD55.40-75.30. For more information, kindly proceed to the Arts Centre official website, or simply click hereAnyone gamed for it? I am. =P Labels: Events, Reviews
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Thursday, March 27, 2008
It's cold and wet today. *sigh*Much as I like to curl in bed, under the comfort of my blankets, there is more to do at the moment than just "putrefying" during my one-week break.For one, I have notes to catch up on (which has been piling, sky-high if I may add, over the past 6 months). *sigh* *sigh* *SIGH!*----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Ah, there she goes again.... In case you are wondering, I am referring to my next-door neighbour. =PIt seems she has taken quite a shine on her bass guitar. For the last few months or so, I've listened to her - strumming from strength to strength. At the rate things are going, I'd say she's progressing really well. Now I'm tempted to re-tune my sister's acoustic and practise a few notes myself. =P---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------It's pouring once more. *groans* I'll probably head out to RMH tomorrow, when the weather is (hopefully) a bit better. Revision beckons. ><" Labels: Random thoughts
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Monday, March 24, 2008
Primum Non Nocere - First, do no harm. How far would you go to console someone - someone who has been through so much within a short span of time?
How do console someone who has recently lost his/her loved ones - from sudden deaths, cruel twists of fate?
How do you console someone, who was once so spirited, independant and HAD a life he/she was proud of - now being confined to the bed or chair....immobile, helpless?
How do you console someone who cries himself/herself to sleep every night, because of the emotional burden he/she bore?
I cannot.
I, for one, am never married, have never been in a blissful marriage which lasted for over 40 years....and so can never truly understand how it feels like to lose a loving husband, a doting father, a wonderful grandfather.
I, for one, am overall blessed with good health, and so I cannot fully comprehend what it is like to frequent hospitals for the last 10 years, to endure a battery of tests (some being more invasive than the others)....and still haven't a clue of what was going on.
I, for one, am still blessed - with a happy family, wonderful friends and a supportive social network. I don't know how it is like to come from a broken, abusive home, with no one to turn to when things seem dire.
So don't make me reassure the people I've met.... that things will turn out for the better. Allowing patients to see a glimmer of hope is one thing, but giving false assurance is another. I will listen to them, should they confide in me - their stories, frustrations, their woes. If letting all out helps; makes them feel better...then I am more than happy to be there for them; to listen with an open heart and mind. Just don't make me say that time will heal all wounds. A portion may take longer to heal, but some just don't. Don't make me do something which I feel might do more harm than good.Labels: Medicine/Hospitals/Medics, Random thoughts
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Sunday, March 23, 2008
FETCHEZ LA VACHE!!! [Fr. "Bring Forth the Cow!"]
On Saturday, my sister and I watched Monty Python's SPAMALOT, a musical comedy which was "lovingly ripped off from the motion picture Monty Python and the Holy Grail".
A bit of the storyline before I move on:
"...Telling the legendary tale of King Arthur and his knights of the Round Table, and featuring a bevy of beautiful show girls, not to mention cows, killer rabbits and (flatulent) french (soldiers).... Monty Python's SPAMALOT raises "siliness to an art form" (The Sunday Times) and has been hailed as "a-no-holds-barredsmash hit" (The New Yorker)...."
-exerpt taken from http://www.montypythonsspamalot.com/-
Truth to be told, I was initially sceptical about this musical, even more so after I rented the original Monty Python's "King Arthur and the Holy Grail" (1975) and "painfully" viewed its first half. Sure, the characters were hilarious in their own accord, but the plot build-up was too....silly for a film.
(-_-")
[Note to self: Then again, Monty Python is all about being silly now, isn't it? :P]
So there I was, reeling from the "shock" of it all, thinking "Will it be worth going to the theatre to WATCH THIS???"
My verdict after watching the musical?
*drumrolls*
I became an instant convert. :P
The plot is still as silly (and yes, it IS a rip-off from the Monty Python original, as advertised). On broadway, however, there are a few "extras" which by far surpasses the movie:
1. Excellent choreography
2. Beautiful back-drops and colourful costumes
3. Engaging actors
4. Memorable scores
5. Hilarious (and highly contagious) punchlines
......so what more can I ask for? It was overall, a musical one could not possibly forget. XD
Labels: Leisure and pleasure, Reviews
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Friday, March 21, 2008
Crossing the LineI've been meaning to write this for a while now. For some reasons (ie: mental block, time-constraints and pure procrastination) I tend to "sideline" this entry, up until a few days ago, when a rather "disturbing" event cropped up in one of my friend's blog.Now, before I explore any further as to what spurred me to continue this entry, allow me to dwell a bit on the relationship between a doctor and his/her patient, as advocated by the Australian Medical Association (AMA). "A doctor-patient relationship is a delicate balance between collaboration and mutual respect." Below are some of the guidelines proposed by AMA with regards to ethical behaviour expected of doctors:The Doctor and the Patient
1. Consider first the well-being of your patient.
2. Treat your patient with compassion and respect.
3. Approach health care as a collaboration between doctor and patient.
4. Practise the science and art of medicine to the best of your ability.
5. Continue lifelong self-education to improve your standard of medical care.
6. Maintain accurate contemporaneous clinical records.
7. Ensure that doctors and other health professionals upon whom you call to assist in the care of
your patients are appropriately qualified.
8. Make sure that you do not exploit your patient for any reason.9. Avoid engaging in sexual activity with your patient.
10. Refrain from denying treatment to your patient because of a judgement based on discrimination.
11. Respect your patient’s right to choose their doctor freely, to accept or reject advice and to
make their own decisions about treatment or procedures.
12. Maintain your patient’s confidentiality. Exceptions to this must be taken very seriously. They may include where there is a serious risk to the patient or another person, where required by law, where part of approved research, or where there are overwhelming societal interests.
13. Upon request by your patient, make available to another doctor a report of your findings and treatment.
14. Recognise that an established therapeutic relationship between doctor and patient must be respected.
15. Having initiated care in an emergency setting, continue to provide that care until your services are no longer required.
16. When a personal moral judgement or religious belief alone prevents you from recommending some form of therapy, inform your patient so that they may seek care elsewhere.
17. Recognise that you may decline to enter into a therapeutic relationship where an alternative health care provider is available, and the situation is not an emergency one.
18. Recognise that you may decline to continue a therapeutic relationship. Under such circumstances, you can discontinue the relationship only if an alternative health care provider is available and the situation is not an emergency one. You must inform your patient so that they may seek care elsewhere.
19. Recognise your professional limitations and be prepared to refer as appropriate.
20. Place an appropriate value on your services when determining any fee. Consider the time, skill, and experience involved in the performance of those services together with any special circumstances.
21. Ensure that your patient is aware of your fees where possible. Encourage open discussion of health care costs.
22. When referring your patient to institutions or services in which you have a direct financial interest, provide full disclosure of such interest.
23. If you work in a practice or institution, place your professional duties and responsibilities to your patients above the commercial interests of the owners or others who work within these practices.
24. Ensure security of storage, access and utilisation of patient information.
25. Protect the right of doctors to prescribe, and any patient to receive, any new treatment, the demonstrated safety and efficacy of which offer hope of saving life, re-establishing health or alleviating suffering. In all such cases, fully inform the patient about the treatment, including the new or unorthodox nature of the treatment, where applicable.
[NOTE: While there is little doubt that all the above are equally important, note that I particularly feel strongly for 10 statements (hence the highlights!)]
Well what am I getting at, by spewing important (albeit "boring") medical ethics? In a nutshell, patients (usually) come to us at a time when they are most VULNERABLE - physically, mentally, emotionally. Consequently, they need to be protected from exploitations of any form....which is perhaps the MAIN reason why the guidelines came into being. Hence the reason why doctors are prohibited to initiate/establish "intimate" relationships with their current patients in the first place.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What happens, however, when the patient (or rather the patient's relative in my friend's dilemma) becomes utterly besotted with the carer instead?This friend of mine, N, is a 5th year medic. During one of her clerking sessions with a patient, she met L, the patient's nephew. It was (apparently) "love at first sight" for L, who, for the next few days or so, could not stop thinking of N. Armed with the sole knowledge that N is a medical student from a particular university, he sought high and low for her name, email address and/or hp number. L eventually found out that N's housemate, C, owns a blog....and so pleaded C (and her friends) for N's contact details on her webpage. L even went so far as to claim that "as long as she is not married, I still have a chance", despite being told N is already in a steady relationship. Frankly speaking, I don't know what to make out of this situation. What I dread now, however, are the implications should L get hold of N's contact details. If he amicably "backs off" from his original intention upon discovering N is attached, and just wants their relationship to be platonic, then I don't have much qualms about that. But what if he habours his desire still? Judging from his stand [re: "as long as she is not married, I have a chance"], I assume he still does. Should L become aggressive in his pursuit, what next?Labels: Medicine/Hospitals/Medics, Random thoughts
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Sunday, March 16, 2008
Nothing beats a round of Yoga and Body Balance (which is a combination of Taiji, Yoga and Pilates) in the mornings.
It's been a month since I started the programmes, and I've never felt better!!! I feel more flexible, my lower back and hamstrings aren't giving me as much trouble as before, my upper limbs (especially the triceps) are stronger than ever, and my mind's refreshed after every workout. *yay!!*
I highly recommend them to people who would LOVE to destress after a hard day's work. XD
Labels: Leisure and pleasure, Random thoughts
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Friday, March 14, 2008
Mother Nature's Wrath?Things have taken quite a turn here in the past few months: droughts in many states including Victoria, which led to water-rationing of various degrees across the continent, flash-floods in Queensland and New South Wales, bush-fires in multiple hot spots around Australia (South Australia is most recently affected), damaged crops and escalating food prices due to extreme climate changes, and very recently, heatwaves across the country. With regards to heatwaves, Adelaide has the worst hit, with temperatures rising above 35 degrees celcius for a record-breaking TWELVE DAYS. To top off, about 50 people so far have been admitted to hospitals for heatstrokes.Leng Hui, Ken, Jebbrine, Bryan, Sheng Kai, Yi Wen.....ARE YOU GUYS ALRIGHT OVER THERE???!!!!! =(Labels: event
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Thursday, March 13, 2008
The Heat is On. There's nothing worse than soaring temperatures in autumn.Okay, perhaps AUSTRALIAN BUSH-FLIES and MAJOR EXAMS are the WORST of the lot, but that's another story altogether. Now back to my point..... Despite being brought up in the hot and humid tropics during the first 21 years of my life, I've thought the weather down south would be cooler and (yeap) a bit more pleasant. While I cannot deny that Down Under has its "ups and downs" climate-wise (and need I say more about Melbourne's ever famous "Four-Seasons-in-a-Day"? =P), it is, on the whole, quite a refreshing change to me. Up until the last couple of days, that is. Today hit 40 degrees celcius, an all-time high since December.....and the sun (literally) SCORCHES the skin. ><"
Pay heed to the "SLIP-SLOP-SLAP" advice!!!
[To the uninitiated, "Slip-slop-slap" is the name of an Australian health campaign urging people to "Slip on a shirt, Slop on sunscreen, and Slap on a hat!!!" for the last 25 years.]
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Wednesday, March 12, 2008
To fellow Malaysians who have been keeping abreast with the "Lingam Video" controversy, may I present to you a token from the Comedy Court:
Lingam's Devil Curry
An excerpt about this video: "This is about the Royal Commission's enquiry into the alleged V.K Lingam video scandal"
I LMAO when I first heard this one.
Enjoy.
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Tuesday, March 11, 2008
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Malaysian General Election 2008: Winds of Change? To review the outcome,click hereThe results were staggering, to say the least. Despite a simple majority win (which means they are still the ruling party), Barisan Nasional (BN) has suffered a huge blow at the 12th General Election, a first since 1969.
- Out of the 222 parliamentary seats being contested, only 140 seats were won by BN (63%). This is a stark contrast to the last general election (in 2004), where 198 of 219 seats were unsurped by BN (90.4%).
- As for the state seatings, the oppostion emerged strong this time, winning 196 out of 505 seats (38.8%), an extraordinary leap by 28.7% since 2004.
- Five states are now under the opposition: Kelantan, Kedah, Penang, Perak and Selangor.
So how do I feel with regards to the outcome? I can only say that our nation has finally spoken.
Loud and clear. It is the people's choice, and that must ultimately be respected.
Will it lead to serious racial repercussions, just like the aftermath of 1969 General Election? Judging from the way events are currently unfolding in Malaysia, no I wouldn't think so. More importantly, what now? Where do we go from here? I guess that remains to be seen.
I truly hope things will turn for the better.
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Latest updates:
1. Datuk Seri Abdullah Badawi was sworn in last night as Malaysian PM for the 2nd term
2. UMNO and BN supreme councils pledged their support for Pak Lah, dismissing rumours (outright) that Abdullah was to resign.
3. Perak Regent has consented to the formation of a DAP-PKR-PAS coalition government.Labels: Events
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Monday, March 10, 2008
This is one event I'd like to participate sometime in the future. Nevertheless, given that it is
20 days before the race, while taking into account that I haven't been running in marathons since high school (which means my current
endurance level is, erm....
far from ideal), I'll have to
forgo this marathon first. heh. Well, no matter. There will always be charity runs to look forward to in the near future, and with a few months worth of endurance training, I'll be ready to go. XD
Just a bit of info regarding this charity run before I sign off:
Considering that I was transferred to Melbourne Uni just last year, I'm not sure when it all began, or who was the brainchild behind the Herald Sun/CityLink Run for the Kids Marathon. What I DO know, however, is that a sizable portion of the proceeds raised will be donated to the Royal Children Hospital (RCH) 2008 Good Friday Appeal. There are two courses to choose from altogether (5.76km and 14.14km), depending on whether you're up for the longer course or not! =P
To all Melburnians who may be interested in the "Run for the Kids 2008" Good Friday Appeal, click here
[NOTE: Closing date's 14th March 2008.....so do sign up ASAP if you're still interested!!!]
Training beckons. Have a good week, everyone! XD
Labels: Events
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Sunday, March 09, 2008
Ever get the feeling sometimes that you are merely a "distraction" to the people around you - getting in the way while they are at work?
I get that very frequently during working ward rounds.
By that, I don't mean the hospital staff I've encountered are a bunch of nasties. On the contrary, I found them all highly professional. If I were to blame it on something, I'd say time-constraints....the day usually begins with radiology/pathology sessions, followed by a quick consultant ward round (which is at lightning speed on many occasions). A grand-round may follow suit, before doctors start "running off" to their clinic sessions.
Since everyone is so pressed for time, it doesn't surprise me when medics don't get taught much during those rounds. That is to be expected, more so when it is a busy morning.
My discomfort tends to escalate even further when I'm the only medical student on board a "tight-ship of six" health professionals (make it to at least TWELVE people when it turns into a multidisciplinary ward-round). One may think I'm too self-conscious, but I somehow felt small and inferior in their presence. I can do nought but to stand at the side, trying to comprehend whatever that was being said before me.
(On a side-note, I am technically the smallest in the group already since I'm SO VERTICALLY CHALLENGED. Would you believe me if I said that wedges/heels didn't help much under such circumstances, given the fact that almost everyone in RMH towers over me? T_T)
"Well, you said at the beginning that it's to be expected.....and since you're there mainly to observe and listen, so just sit back and chill out!!!" you may say.
The problem is....
See, sometimes it is difficult to listen to everything they say. There are occasions where consults were done in a "hushed" manner, especially when a patient's outcome is grim (you wouldn't want EVERYONE in the ward to know what was going on now, would you?). On the other side of the spectrum however, when things are going according to plan, the consults would be so darn quick that I wouldn't know what has been said, and what is going to be done! Top that off with "high-end" discussions on the latest diagnostic criteria/management options (which means loads of medical jargon where we mere medics could barely grasp with our current level of medical knowledge) and a myriad of accents (Aussie/Brit, Italian, Greek, Vietnamese, Croatian....) and *voila!* - a discussion I shall never comprehend.
"You could at least ASK SOME QUESTIONS, you ignorant fool!!!" one may quipped. Yes, I could (and I do on occasions where appropriate), but tell me.....if you didn't get what was being said in (almost) every consult, would you dare to ask them to REPEAT for you after every SINGLE discussion? For all I know, they are already so pressed for time (so have some discretion, mate!) That may be the reason why I want another medical student to be with me - so I could fall back and ask if he/she understood what has been said. Even if he/she does not....well, at least I know for sure that I was not the only one being "left out"! =P
Were it not for the Endocrine resident and registrar, David Kok and Chris Yates,
who had been so kind to fill me in with the details whenever they can (even when I did not ask!), I wouldn't have wanted to attend them anymore.
So I thank you both, for trying to make me feel as comfortable as possible. ^^Labels: Medicine/Hospitals/Medics, Random thoughts
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